University of South Africa shines at the 2022 World Science Forum

The first ever World Science Forum (WSF) hosted in South Africa and on African soil was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 6 to 9 December 2022. The Forum brought together science researchers, professionals, multinational organisations, business and community agencies to engage on issues around science diplomacy, collaboration, partnerships and internationalisation, academic development, research, technology, innovation and engaged scholarship. The theme of the forum was Science for Social Justice.

On the first day of the forum, prior to his opening address, President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Ministers Blaze Nzimande and Naledi Pandor, visited a few of the stalls in the exhibition halls and spent time at the Unisa stall where staff shared details of some of the innovative projects led by academics and students at the university.

In his opening address, Ramaphosa stressed that science needs to contribute towards addressing challenges that are faced by humanity. He urged the forum delegates to consider and respond to five questions pertaining to and linked to the sub-themes of WSF 2022:

The role that science should play in protecting and enhancing human dignity and in fighting poverty, unemployment and inequalities (science for social justice).
The role that science should play to enable a just climate transition and protecting the vulnerable against the harsh impact of climate change (science for human dignity).
The recognition of the contributions of African science as a global resource equal to/contributing to global responses aimed at addressing global challenges (science for Africa and the world).
The role that science should play in advancing multilateralism and global solidarity (science for diplomacy).
Transformation of science to make it more open and reflective of the society we want (justice in science).

Some of the Unisans who attended WSF 2022 shared their reflections:
“Of main interest to me was the discussions on science diplomacy as emphasis is placed on international science collaboration highlighting the value of collaborations and multilateralism in forging partnerships and good relations. Science diplomacy calls for nations to unite and collaborate in finding collaborative solutions to the world’s challenges. I became aware of a number of collaborative programmes I believe Unisa should be participating in and that more effort should be made to get Unisans (staff and students) more involved. But I also became very aware of the glaring silos and competition among us as employees, that at times cause us to miss the bigger picture. Going forward. I am thinking Unisa could adopt these themes to focus our engaged scholarship, research, and teaching and learning over and above what we are catering for, now” (Siza Magubane, Internationalisation and Partnership Office).

“WSF 2022 provided a networking environment with science community and African scientists. The forum gave the exposure in new technologies in terms of genomics and opened several collaboration opportunities. We believe that this was a good opportunity to widen Unisa’s visibility across the globe. Academics in the space of science should attend these kinds of events to broaden their knowledge in new space of science” (Prof Ntanganedzeni Mapholi, Department of Agriculture and Animal Health).

“The World Science Forum was a great event which offered Unisa the opportunity to put its best foot forward. We got the chance to showcase Unisa’s innovation and highlighted the ways in which Unisa is a major player in the innovation space” (Ayanda Noma, Director: Directorate of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Commercialisation).

“We got to engage with delegates from other countries. Our presence helped in highlighting and gaining visibility for the institution. Focusing on what Unisa offers helped in attracting possible collaborators for future projects. The media coverage we received will assist in extending visibility and for others to know of the services offered by Unisa. Being part of an international event like the WSF offered us the chance to also engage with the president of the country” (Dr Petunia Malatji, Department of Agriculture and Animal Science).

“WSF 2022 afforded us the opportunity to engage with multiple stakeholders in both the public and the public space. Seeing the myriad projects that many institutions/institutes are busy with was an eye opener – more so the focus on how science can contribute to social justice. The forum brought together scholars and practitioners from around the globe and highlighted the importance of science academies and the role they play in assisting with how science can and should respond to societal issues. One of the highlights for me was the presence of school, learners some of whom already have scientific innovations in the works. This showed how, as academic institutions, we should be forward thinking and imagining programmes that will accommodate future generation scientists who are already grappling with issues in their immediate environments” (Prof Puleng Segalo, Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair).

We look forward to the possible future collaborations as a result of networks and contacts made at the forum.